These two relatively youthful UK bands give me hope for the future of this little isle's scene. Sky:Lark! are a power trio making a healthy post-hardcore racket, like Shotmaker, Fugazi, Karp and the like. Heavy, twisty, weird song structures and riffing, all topped off with layers of angst. Meadows combine the slow with the fast to create a riffstorm of hardcore-tinged stoner rock that is catchy, heavy and very good for you. Hand screened covers, hand stamped labels, the works!

In 2014, the best punk scene in the world is in London, England, and the best band out of that scene is Good Throb. KY Ellie and the gang rage through eleven of the most acerbic punk rock cuts to be conceived in modern time, brimming over with true-life vitriol and the means to carry it out. Imagine the murderous passion of The Feederz clenched in the fists of Kleenex with a scratched-up Erase Errata picture disc jammed in a Vomit Visions sleeve and you're close to Good Throb, although there is no way to hypothesize Good Throb without truly bearing witness. Following two stunning 7" EPs, Good Throb annihilate the LP format with more tunes about moronic men, systemic misery and the many ways in which they can both get fucked. Rather than be the one to say it, I'll go ahead and wait until you hear 'Fuck Off' and consequently pronounce it the album of the year.

Following up their "Kingmaker" LP, the UK's Pine Barrens continue making their own take on black metallish hardcore rage which is hard to classify, but think Rorschach and Botch and you'll be close. Grinding Halt from the Netherlands unleash a longer track which combines everything they do so well, mixing all the good stuff from hardcore, punk, sludge and metal with some high pitched vocals on top. Got copies on clear and black and it has great artwork by Marald too. Wholesale and trade enquiries welcome!

Well, it's a particularly bad moment in human history, so what better time to announce the release of the Beg self-titled LP? Originally released last year as a limited CD by Hygiene Records out of the USA, this is finally out on vinyl.

Beg is a trio making intense grind metal of the very best kind. It's hard not to mention the "supergroup" thing What with Smith from The Afternoon Gentlemen on drums and Grief from Art Of Burning Water playing guitar, but I'm going to.

Those two bands are great reference points as it's twisted and complicated whilst still being furiously fast and heavy, bringing to mind both the old and new skools of grind. Beg show it's possible to make angry music without being bone-headed, and make complex music without losing the humanity.

This is limited to 250 or so on the blackest of black vinyl with screened sleeves.

Isolation Tank is a duo that make that powerviolence stuff but are head and shoulders above a lot of the generic, jokey slop being churned out at the moment. Jack and Sam actually utilise discernible, catchy riffs and lots of cool time changes that keep it interesting. Think Hatred Surge and Iron Lung.

Art Of Burning Water continue their mission to annoy all and sundry with their slightly faster take on their usual off-kilter noise-rock with definite hardcore leanings, like a sped up Keelhaul partying with Motorhead. Three short ones from them also.

This is limited to 250 or so with hand stamped labels and a wraparound sleeve.

Been ages since I posted an update, sorry! Two new releases and a ton of new distro stuff for you!

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ART OF BURNING WATER
Living Is For Giving, Dying Is For Getting LP

Art Of Burning Water refuse to die despite being one of the most frowned upon bunch of noise making twats of the past 10 years. There is no machine behind this band and the UK 'underground' rock circle jerk has never approved them or championed them and they do not have friends in high places but do have high friends. You won't be told to check them out and they will not be seen high fiving the correct people in the correct places in order to further their way up festival bills with the correct bands. Art Of Burning Water are outsiders in the truest sense of the word and very proud to stand outside the circle of your love. Art Of Burning Water are a steroided immigrant noise punk outfit that does not need to be loved to live. Art Of Burning Water love what they do and therefore need not be loved for what they do. This is strong music by weak people. For fans of: Keelhaul, Rorschach, Voivod, Amebix, Godflesh and Motorhead.

Crows from Dublin absolutely bring some of the most satisfyingly smart, crunchy hardcore I've heard in a long time. Ten songs of anger, power, mosh, breakdowns, singalongs that sound catchy and killer without being boneheaded in the slightest. I heard the singer once moshed through a wall, so I knew I had to help release it.

Some great reviews have come in already, here are some choice quotes:

"Clipped, heavy and hairy, the tracks get under your skin. There’s an immediacy about it that grabs you by the collar... There’s enough bile here to give even the mighty Dystopia a run for their money... An ability to quickly shift and lurch into angular sounding breakdowns helps make it all the more absorbing... Hardcore this enraged, bleak and heavy has to be appreciated. The fact that they’ve been able to keep the quality bar so high throughout is remarkable." - Metal Ireland

"This band pummels through ten songs full of rage. It’s not that difficult to maintain a crazy level of rage on only one side of a 7”, keeping it interesting for an entire LP, that’s something quite different. On Better of dead Crows shows you it can be done." - SWNK

"If you enjoy a good piece of genre mayhem then Crows Better Off Dead is something you need to check out. One of the best contemporary hardcore/punk bands the genre has to offer. This is an absolute rager." - Metal Injection

This is co-released with De Graanrepubliek in the Netherlands and Distro-y in Ireland, so if you live in Europe, it's probably best to get it from one of them.They both have a bunch of other cool records available too.
[www.degraanrepubliek.com]
[distroyrecords.com]

Crows are playing a couple of release gigs this weekend in Dublin and Belfast and will have the LP with them.